Fascia Mounted Railing System

ABSTRACT

A fascia mounted railing system that uses brackets that secure posts to a slab while also providing base support for a infill panels without the use of a base rail. The system does this by using a bracket to secure the posts and a second bracket that fits within the bottom of the post. This bracket has end flanges that extend outwardly from the post to support an infill panel. The infill panels can have a base treatment to conceal the face of the slab, if desired, for a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. In addition, the system has the capacity for a top railing that can be attached to the back of the posts as a grab rail, or attached to the top of the posts (with a bracket) for a top rail.

CLAIM FOR PRIORITY

This application claims priority as a continuation of U.S. applicationSer. No. 15/718,517 entitled “Fascia Mounted Railing System, filed onSep. 28, 2017, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to fascia mounted railing systems andparticularly to fascia mounted railing systems having a slab-mountedbase of post supports.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern building design for high-rise apartments and other types ofbuilding structures often have concrete balconies. These balconies allowthe residents to enjoy outdoor space attached to their dwelling units oroffices. For safety purposes, these balconies have railing systemsinstalled. Typically, these guardrails are fabricated from metal orconcrete. Guardrails fabricated using metal are usually either surfacemounted to the top of the slab using a base plate, or mounted into acore pocket. Although these designs work and provide the necessaryprotection, they are not the most aesthetically pleasing constructions.

Over the years I have developed several different designs for railingsystems. Two of these enable a railing system to be mounted to the faceof a slab. These designs are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,497,057; and7,617,650. Two problems exist in mounting a rail to the face of a slab:one is in how to support the railing posts against the slab and theother is how to support infill panels when the railing posts are mountedin front of a slab. Both designs solve this problem by using a number offascia brackets to secure posts to the outer face of the elevated slabbalcony. The posts have a base track secured to them to support theinfill panels, which are then placed between the posts to provide thewall structure. A top rail can be used to cover the top of the infillpanel. Note that both designs secure the posts to the slab at a pointabove the base of the posts. As noted above, a base track is installedas well.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention is a design for fascia mounted railings that usesbrackets that secure the posts to the slab while also providing basesupport for the infill panels without the use of a full base rail. Itdoes this by using a first bracket to secure the posts to the slab and asecond bracket that fits within the bottom of the post to support theinfill panels. This bracket has end flanges that extend outwardly fromthe post to support an infill panel. Note the infill panels can have abase treatment to conceal the face of the slab, if desired, for a moreaesthetically pleasing appearance. In addition, the system has thecapacity for a top railing that can be attached to the back of the postsas a grab rail, or attached to the top of the posts (with a bracket) fora top rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of my new railing,attached to a slab.

FIG. 2 is a right side detail view of a post, installed on a slabshowing the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a portion of the railing, installed on a slab,showing the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a rear exploded view of a post showing the attachment of thegrab rail assembly of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front exploded view of a post showing the installation oftwo infill panels.

FIG. 6 is a front exploded view of a post bottom showing the assembly ofthe slab brackets and the base bracket.

FIG. 7 is a top detail view of a base plate.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a base plate.

FIG. 9 is a detail view of a post extrusion.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a slab edge-mount bracket.

FIG. 11 is a top view of a corner fascia bracket.

FIG. 12 is a top detail view of a corner post extrusion.

FIG. 13 s a perspective view of the second embodiment of my new railing.

FIG. 14 is a right side detail view of a post, installed on a slab,showing the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a front view of a portion of the railing, installed on aslab, showing the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a rear exploded view of a post showing the attachment of thetop rail assembly of the second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a front exploded view of a post bottom showing the assemblyof the slab brackets and the base bracket of the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a top detail view of a base plate for the second embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a front view of a base plate for the second embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a top view of a fascia bracket for the second embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a detail view of a post extrusion for the second embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a top detail view of a top cap for the second embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a front detail view of the top rail adapter for the secondembodiment.

FIG. 24 a top view of a corner fascia bracket for the second embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a top detail view of a corner post extrusion for the secondembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. The invention may, however, may be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as being limited tothe embodiments set forth herein. Rather these embodiments are providedso that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of the first embodiment 10of my new railing attached to a slab 100 is shown. In this view, theposts 11 are shown along with the back rail 12, and infill panels 13.The infill panels 13 have masking 14, such as a ceramic frit pattern, tohide the face of the slab. Note that there is no base rail used in thisdesign. As discussed below, the infill panels are supported by bracketsattached to the bottom of the posts 11.

FIG. 2 is a right side detail view of a post 11, installed on a slab 100showing the first embodiment. In the first embodiment a back mountedgrab rail 12 is shown. Details of this rail are discussed below. Thisview shows the slab edge-mount brackets 15 and the fastener system 16that attach the post to the slab.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a portion of the railing. installed on a slab,showing the first embodiment. In this view, the posts 11 and the infillpanels 13 are shown. Also shown are the slab edge-mount brackets 15 andthe bottom brackets 17 that are attached to the posts and providesupport for the infill panels, as discussed below.

FIG. 4 is a rear exploded view of a post 11 showing the attachment ofthe grab rail assembly 12 of the first embodiment. The grab railassembly 12 consists of a rail portion 20, a mounting bracket 21 and apost mounting spacer 22. The mounting bracket 21 has a top mount 21 athat secures the bracket to the rail 20 with screws 23. The mountingbracket 21 also has a spacer 21 b that extends downward to a mountingcylinder 21 c. The mounting cylinder 21 c passes through the mountingspacer 22 and is secured to the post with a fastener 23. Note that thepost has a mounting hole 11 a provided to attach the installation of twoinfill panels.

FIG. 5 is a front exploded view of a post 11 showing the installation oftwo infill panels 13. Here, the post 11 is shown. Note that the front ofthe post has a pair of formed channels 11 b that receive the infillpanels 13. A vinyl insert 13 a is fit over the ends of each infillpanel. The vinyl inserts and glass panels are fitted into the channels11 b on the post. Note, this view also shows a top cap 11 c that is usedin this first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a front exploded view of a post bottom showing the assembly ofthe slab brackets and the base bracket. Each post 11 is secured to theface of the slab 100 using a mounting system 16. This system includes atrack 30 that holds bolts 31 so that they extend forward from the faceof the slab as shown. A slab edge-mount bracket 15 is used to secure thepost to the bolts 31. Each slab edge-mount bracket 15 is secured to apost using bolts 32, washers 33, nuts 34 and caps 35. Once secured tothe post, the slab edge-mount bracket 15 is placed over the bolts 31(there are two, one on each side of the slab edge-mount bracket 15) andam secured with washers 33, nuts 34 and caps 35.

This figure also shows the bottom bracket 17. This bracket has twovertical portions 17 a that fit into the bottom of the post 11. Theseare secured to the post using the same bolts and hardware that are usedto secure the slab edge-mount bracket 15. Note that the bottom bracket17 also has a base 17 b that has a formed front with ledges 17 c. Theseledges are used to support the glass infill panels, thus eliminating theneed for a bottom rail that runs between the posts. Note too, thatscrews 36 are also used to secure the bottom bracket 17 to the post 11.

FIG. 7 is a top detail view of a bottom bracket 17 is shown. Note thevertical portions 17 a and the base 17 b that has a formed front withledges 17 c; note too, the screw holes 17 d that hold the screws 36.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the bottom bracket 17. Here, the verticalportions 17 a and the base 17 b are shown.

FIG. 9 is a detail view of a post extrusion. There is a rectangularportion 11 d and a face portion 11 c with the spaces between themforming the channels 11 b. Note the screw holes 11 f that hold thescrews 36 that help hold the bottom bracket to the post.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a slab edge-mount bracket 15. The slabedge-mount bracket has two front arms 15 a that fit around the post 11and a base plate 15 b that is secured to the slab face, as discussedabove.

The system also provides brackets for fitting around corners. FIG. 11 isa top view of a corner fascia bracket 40. This bracket has a 90° angleplate 41 and a pair of arms 42 that extend out from the 90° angle plate41. These arms secure a post to the corner fascia bracket 40, as in themanner discussed above for a straight post section. Note that the cornerfascia bracket 40 is attached to the slab with bolts through the 90°angle plate 41, also as discussed above.

FIG. 12 is a top detail view of a corner post extrusion 43. Here, themain difference is that the channels 44 that receive the infill panels13 are set at an angle, so that they form a right angle corner. Each ofthe infill panels placed in a corner post 40 extend to meet regularposts 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the second embodiment 50 of my newrailing. This embodiment is identical to the first embodiment except forthe type of grab rail. In the first embodiment, the grab rail isattached to the back of the posts. In the second embodiment, the grabrail is attached to the top of the posts. This necessitates a differenttop structure for the posts. As shown in FIG. 13, the railing 50 has thesame elements as the first embodiment: posts 51 are shown along with thetop rail 52, and infill panels 53 all attached to a slab 100. The infillpanels 53 can have masking 54, such as a ceramic frit pattern, to hidethe face of the slab. Note, as in the case of the first embodiment,there is no base rail used in this design. As discussed below, theinfill panels are supported by brackets attached to the bottom of theposts 51.

FIG. 14 is a right side detail view of a post, installed on a slab,showing the second embodiment. Here, a post 51, installed on a slab 100is shown. In the first embodiment a back mounted grab rail 12 is used(see e.g., FIG. 2). In this embodiment, a top rail 52 is used. Detailsof this rail are discussed below. This view shows the slab edge-mountbrackets 55 and the fastener system 56 that attach the post to the slab.

FIG. 15 is a front view of a portion of the railing, installed on aslab, showing the 10 second embodiment. In this view, posts 51 and theinfill panels 53 are shown. Also shown are the slab edge-mount brackets55 and the bottom brackets 57 that are attached to the posts and providesupport for the infill panels, as discussed below.

FIG. 16 is a rear exploded view of a post showing the attachment of thetop rail assembly of the second embodiment. Here, the post 51 is shownwith the infill panels 53 and vinyl insert 53 a is fit over the ends ofeach infill panel. The vinyl inserts and glass panels are fitted intothe channels 51 b on the post. Note, this view also shows the top capfor the post and the rail of the second embodiment. The top cap 58 has abase plate 59 that is fastened to the top of the post using fasteners60. A pair of angle brackets 61 extends upwards from the baseplate 59 asshown. The tops of the angle brackets lie in the horizontal plane andare fitted with holes 62 for fasteners 63 that are used to fasten thetop rail 52 to the angle brackets 61.

FIG. 17 is a front exploded view of a post bottom showing the assemblyof the slab brackets and the bottom bracket. Each post 51 is secured tothe face of the slab 100 using a mounting system 56. This systemincludes a track 70 that holds bolts 71 so that they extend forward fromthe face of the slab as shown. A slab edge-mount bracket 55 is used tosecure the post to the bolts 71. Each slab edge-mount bracket 55 issecured to a post using bolts 72, washers 73, nuts 74 and caps 75. Oncesecured to the post, the slab edge-mount bracket 75 is placed over thebolts 71 (there are two, one on each side of the slab edge-mount bracket75 for each post) and are secured with washers 73, nuts 74 and caps 75.

This figure also shows the bottom bracket 57. This bracket has twovertical portions 57 a that fit into the bottom of the post 51. These amsecured to the post using the same bolts and hardware that are used tosecure the slab edge-mount bracket 55. Note that the bottom bracket 57also has a base 57 b that has a formed front with ledges 57 c. Theseledges are used to support the glass infill panels, thus eliminating theneed for a bottom rail that runs between the posts. Note too, thatscrews 76 are also used to secure the bottom bracket 57 to the post 51.

FIG. 18 is a top detail view of a bottom bracket 57 is shown. Note thevertical portions 57 a, and the base 57 b that has a formed front withledges 57 c. Note too, the screw holes 57 d that hold the screws 76.

FIG. 19 is a front view of the bottom bracket 57. Here the verticalportions 57 a, and the base 57 b are shown with the ledges 57 c.

FIG. 20 is a top view of a slab edge-mount bracket 55. Note the slabedge-mount bracket has two front arms 55 a that fit around the post 51and a base plate 55 b that is secured to the slab face, as discussedabove.

FIG. 21 is a detail view of a post extrusion 51. There is a rectangularportion 51 d and a face portion 51 e with the spaces between themforming the channels 51 b. Note the screw holes 11 f that hold thescrews 36 that help hold the bottom bracket to the post.

FIG. 22 is a top detail view of a top cap 58 for the second embodiment.The top cap 58 has a base plate 59 that is fastened to the top of thepost as discussed above. A pair of angle brackets 61 extends upwardsfrom the baseplate 59 as shown. The tops of the angle brackets lie inthe horizontal and are fitted with holes 62 for fasteners 63 that areused to fasten the top rail 52 to the angle brackets 61.

FIG. 23 is a front detail view of the top cap 58 for the secondembodiment. Again, the pair of angle brackets 61 extends upwards fromthe baseplate 59 as shown.

As in the first embodiment, the system also provides brackets forfitting around corners. FIG. 24 is a top view of a corner fascia bracket80. This bracket has a 90° angle plate 81 and a pair of arms 82 thatextend out from the 90° angle plate 81. These arms secure a post to thecorner fascia bracket 80, as in the manner discussed above for astraight post section. Note that the corner fascia bracket 80 isattached to the slab with bolts through the 90° angle plate 81, also asdiscussed above.

FIG. 25 is a top detail view of a corner post extrusion 83. Here, themain difference is that the channels 84 that receive the infill panels53 are set at an angle, so that they form a right angle corner. Each ofthe infill panels placed in a corner post 80 extend to meet regularposts 51.

The foregoing detailed description and appended drawings are intended asa description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention andare not intended to represent the only forms in which the presentinvention may be constructed and/or utilized. Those skilled in the artwill understand that modifications and alternative embodiments of thepresent invention which do not depart from the spirit and scope of theforegoing specification and drawings, and of the claims appended beloware possible and practical. It is intended that the claims cover allsuch modifications and alternative embodiments.

1. A fascia mounted railing system, comprising: a slab, having a frontface; a plurality of posts, spaced apart, each of the plurality of postshaving a pair of channels, wherein each channel receives one of aplurality infill panels; a mounting bracket assembly attached to each ofthe plurality of posts and to the slab to secure each of the pluralityof posts to the slab; a pair of flanges extending outwardly from abracket attached to each of the plurality of posts; and each at leastone infill panel, received in one of the channels in each of twoadjacent posts of the plurality of posts such that each at least oninfill panel sits on one of the pair of flanges on the bracket of eachtwo adjacent posts of the plurality of posts.
 2. The fascia mountedrailing system of claim 1, further comprising a back rail secured to aback of each of the plurality of posts.
 3. The fascia mounted railingsystem of claim 1, further comprising a top rail secured to a top ofeach of the plurality of posts.
 4. The fascia mounted railing system ofclaim 1, further comprising: at least one corner post spaced apart fromthe plurality of posts, the at least one corner post having a pair ofchannels wherein each channel receives one of the plurality of infillpanels; a mounting bracket assembly, attached to a bottom portion of theat least one corner post and to the slab to secure the at least onecorner post to the slab; c) a bracket, attached to the at least onecorner post, having a pair of flanges extending outwardly from sides ofthe bracket; and d) one of the plurality of infill panels received ineach of the channels of the at least on corner post.
 5. The fasciamounted railing system of claim 4, wherein the pair of channels of theat least one corner post are positioned at an angle of less than 180degrees with respect to the at least one corner post.
 6. The fasciamounted railing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one infill panelhas a lower portion and further wherein the lower portion of each atleast one infill panel has a ceramic frit pattern applied.
 7. The fasciamounted railing system of claim 1, wherein the mounting bracket assemblycomprises: a) a track embedded on the front face of the slab; b) a pairof fasteners, placed in the track such that the pair of fastenersextends forward from the face of the slab adjacent to one of theplurality of posts; and c) a slab edge-mount bracket, secured to each ofthe plurality of posts.
 8. The fascia mounted railing system of claim 7,wherein the pair of fasteners comprise a pair of bolts.
 9. The fasciamounted railing system of claim 7, wherein the slab edge mount bracketis secured to each of the plurality of posts with a set of fasteners.10. The fascia mounted railing system of claim 9, wherein the set offasteners comprise: a) a plurality of bolts, positioned in a pluralityof holes formed in the slab edge-mount bracket, b) a washer placed overeach of said plurality of bolts; c) a nut, placed over each of saidplurality of bolts; and d) a cap, positioned over each of said nuts. 11.The fascia mounted railing system of claim 1, further comprising: a backrail; a) a mounting bracket, having a top mount to attach the back railto the mounting bracket; b) a post mounting spacer that extends downwardfrom the mounting bracket; d) a mounting cylinder that is attached tothe post mounting spacer; and e) a fastener for securing the mountingcylinder to one of the plurality of posts.
 12. The fascia mountedrailing system of claim 1, further comprising: a) a top rail; and b) atop cap, for each of the plurality of posts, the top cap having a baseplate and a pair of angle brackets extending upwards from the baseplate,each of the pair of angle brackets having flanges to fasten the top railto the angle brackets, and further wherein the base plate of the top capis attached to the top of each of the plurality of posts.
 13. The fasciamounted railing system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the at least onein-fill panel received in one of the channels in each of two adjacentposts of the plurality of posts is covered by an insert.
 14. The fasciamounted railing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one in-fillpanel is a glass panel.
 15. A fascia mounted railing system, comprising:a slab, having a front face; a plurality of posts, spaced apart, each ofthe plurality of posts having a pair of channels to receive one of aplurality of infill panels; a mounting bracket assembly, attached to abottom portion of each of the plurality of posts and to the slab tosecure each of the plurality of posts to the slab; wherein each of theplurality of posts has a pair of flanges extending outwardly from sidesof the posts; and wherein each of the plurality of infill panels arereceived in one of the channels in each of two adjacent posts of theplurality of posts such that each at least on infill panel sits on oneof the pair of flanges extending from each of two adjacent posts of theplurality of posts.
 16. The fascia mounted railing system of claim 15,further comprising: a back rail secured to a back of each of theplurality of posts.
 17. The fascia mounted railing system of claim 15,further comprising a top railsecured to a top of each of said pluralityof posts.
 18. The fascia mounted railing system of claim 15, furthercomprising: at least one corner post spaced apart from each of theplurality of posts, wherein the at least one corner post has a pair ofchannels, wherein each channel receives one of the plurality of infillpanels; a mounting bracket assembly, attached to a bottom portion of theat least one corner post to secure the at least one corner post to theslab; wherein the at least one corner post has a pair of flangesextending outwardly from sides of the post; and the at least one infillpanel, placed in one of the channels in each of two adjacent posts ofthe plurality of posts such that the at least one infill panel sits onone of the pair of flanges.
 19. The fascia mounted railing system ofclaim 15, further comprising a top cap for each of the plurality ofposts, the top cap having a base plate and a pair of brackets extendingupwards from the baseplate, each of the pair of brackets configured toattach to a rail.
 20. The fascia mounted railing system of claim 15,wherein a portion of the at least one in-fill panel received in one ofthe channels in each of two adjacent posts of the plurality of posts iscovered by an insert.